Rabbit Myths
By Tracey Watt
Myth #1: Rabbits are rodents
• Fact: Rabbits are not rodents. Rabbits, hares,
and pikas are classified as lagomorphs.
Myth #2: Rabbits are naturally
cuddly and love to be held
• Fact: Rabbits are
prey animals and
ground-loving
creatures. It will take
time and lots of
bonding to get your
rabbit comfortable
with being held.
Myth #3: Rabbits and children are
a great combination
• Fact: One of the
worst things to pair a
rabbit with is a child.
The energy, fast
movements, and loud
voice of even the
most gentle child are
very frightening to a
rabbit.
Myth #4: Rabbits are stupid
• Fact: Rabbits are
complex, intelligent
creatures. They can
learn their names and be
taught commands and
simple tricks. They can
solve simple problems,
have fairly good
memories, and can be
trained to use litter boxes.
Myth #5: Rabbits are simple creatures
and do not have feelings/emotions
• Fact: Rabbits
express joy, sadness,
anger, fear, anxiety,
annoyance, pain,
love, and many other
emotions. They even
grieve the loss of
loved ones.
Myth #6: Rabbits are made to live
outdoors in hutches
• Fact: Domesticated
rabbits do not do well
outdoors. Rabbits who
live outdoors are more
likely to get fleas, mites,
and ticks. They also
become lonely and can
die of fright if large
animals harass them.
Extreme heat and cold
are also very bad for
rabbits.
Myth #7: Rabbits can eat any
variety of lettuce
• Fact: Rabbits should
only eat Romaine
lettuce and red leaf
lettuce. Iceberg
lettuce is very bad for
rabbits.
Myth #8: Rabbits only need to eat
pellets
• Fact: Pellets make
up a relatively small
percentage of a
rabbit’s diet. The
most important parts
of a rabbit’s diet are
Timothy hay and fresh
vegetables.